Max McGee had a “wheel” good time, winning so big on a popular game show that the cash and prizes allowed the Lake Barrington resident to invest in his nonprofit, take a long-awaited vacation and cruise in a new sports car.
McGee appeared – and won – on the “Wheel of Fortune” game show in the episode that aired Thursday on the ABC network.
He got off to a slow start on the show, missing the toss-ups – where contestants need to buzz in when they know the answer.
“I was the oldest person there,” the 73-year-old said. “Young people are faster. I knew the answers. I just wasn’t fast enough on the draw for the toss-ups.”
He also bemoans the fact that he didn’t solve what should have been a slam-dunk for him.
“I missed a puzzle that was ‘Marriage and Fishing License,’ and I have both,” McGee told Pioneer Press, laughing at the flub.
Nevertheless, by the end of the show he had accumulated enough cash and prizes to try his luck at the bonus round. At the last second of the 10 seconds given to solve the puzzle, McGee called out, “WE ARE MOVING FORWARD,” and victory was his. With that success, he won a 2024 Ford Mustang convertible.
He had already earned a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands and over $24,000 in cash, for a total earnings of $77,645 in cash and prizes. That cash will go to a good cause, he said.
“My wife runs a nonprofit called the Center for Success for High Need Schools,” McGee explained. “It’s a completely volunteer organization, supporting marginalized kids once a week [from] Aurora and Chicago primarily.”
McGee’s wife, Jan Fitzsimmons, is president and CEO of the organization, and he is the secretary and treasurer. She ran the organization for North Central College for many years but was let go because of budget cuts. McGee and his wife restarted it as a nonprofit four years ago, he said.
The organization is funded by corporate grants and personal donations. The couple was looking for an additional source of funds when they thought of “Wheel of Fortune” in December 2022.
“We watch the show every morning at 5:30. We tape it the night before,” McGee said. “I made a 1-minute audition tape in January or February [of 2023]. I heard back in March and did a short interview. A couple weeks later I did a sample contest via Zoom — which I blew.”
Nevertheless, the show contacted McGee last fall. He did another short interview, after which he was asked to go to Los Angeles for a taping of his segment on Jan. 24. It was a long, exciting day, he said.
“It was an excellent adventure to say the least,” said McGee. “We got there at 7 in the morning and we didn’t tape ‘til 3:30 to 4 in the afternoon.”
He said the contestants grew to be friends. That’s why he felt bad that one of his two fellow contestants missed the final puzzle by leaving off the “s” in the phrase “A meeting of the minds,” leading to him successfully solving the puzzle.
McGee called the staff and crew of the show “so professional, supportive and fun.” He explained that show staff did hair and makeup for the contestants.
“I was fortunate. The woman who did my makeup was the one who did Alex Trebek’s makeup for 17 years,” McGee said.
His appearance on Wheel of Fortune had taped weeks before it aired – and McGee had to keep quiet about it. He said he to sign legal documents attesting to the fact that he wouldn’t tell anyone the results of his time on the show before his segment ran on TV.
“I didn’t tell many people I was even on the show,” he said. “I can overshare at times.”
Now though, he can relax a bit by taking a drive in the new convertible. And he is looking forward to taking his wife on the winning trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands in August or September.
“My wife and I have not taken a vacation alone since before COVID,” McGee said. “So we are beyond excited.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelancer.
